Life's Little Imperfections
by LadySword04
Summary: InuYasha has finally realized the one thing about him that causes all his problems. He formulates a plan to rid himself of this imperfection, but at what cost?
1. Discovery of THE Problem and a Solution

**Disclaimer: **I Do NOT own InuYasha or any of the characters that are affiliated with the series….If I did own the series, I assure you that it would not have turned out as wonderfully as the anime and manga did.

**Warning:** This fiction will start out a little on the 'dark' side, but eventually it will get lighter and more fluffy…I hope!

"**Life's Little Imperfections"**

**By LadySword04**

**November 2004**

**Chapter One: Discovery of THE Problem and A Solution**

The day was perfect for brooding as the sky outside had turned from a cheerful blue to an angry black over the past few hours. Large drops of rain were currently pounding into the earth as if to punish her, and huge streaks of lightning flashed every so often to illuminate distant parts of the forest. The storm was far enough away for now at least so that the thunder was only a distant sound even to InuYasha's sharp ears.

On top of that Kagome had gone home after yet another fight with InuYasha, meaning that shard hunting would be postponed until she got over her anger and came back. InuYasha certainly was not going to go after her this time as she had started the fight and was clearly in the wrong. So, InuYasha just sat in his corner by the fire in Kaede's hut and thought as he waited.

(InuYasha's POV)

**Imperfections.**

That's what these appendages symbolize. They show and are the direct result of the imperfections in my bloodline that prevent me from leading the normal life of one species or the other. I am trapped between the human and the demon worlds with no place to call my own or to belong.

I am alone, rejected, and outcast because of **_them_**.

Two insignificant pieces of flesh atop a mountain of white denote exactly what I am.

I am a Hanyou with no value; if I were to die, no one would miss me. But I cannot think of that. I have the death of Naraku, the completion of the Shikon no Tama, and my wish to become a full demon to look forward to. Then I would finally be accepted without question by other demons regardless of the way I am, or should I say I **_was_**.

However, I have to do something immediately to get those villagers and other demons, mainly Sesshoumaru, off my back. I am tired of the constant ridicule I endure each day from someone everywhere I go. Hell, even when no one is around my own ears poke fun at me; constantly flitting around on my head to draw attention to themselves.

Though I may not act like their barbs affect me, they still do; I just choose not to let my emotions and feelings show through the barrier I have spent my life building. I have been the object of their mockery since I was little and did not know I was being made fun of, and even as I grew and traveled more, I was still scorned.

I remember times where without ever setting foot in a village, every villager knew of me and joked about how pitiful my being a Hanyou is to other people. Yes, I have been made fun of all my life, so I guess you could say I feel pretty accustomed to it. While I am still bothered by this, I got used to it to the point where I no longer felt hurt by their comments.

Maybe I could pass for a demon. You know, make a new name for myself, acquire some property and a kingdom, dress differently, change my scent, and speak to other demons in a more civilized manner. I am willing to bet that with my strength, sword, silver hair, claws, and fangs I could easily get away with my little "self improvement."

**It's just those stupid ears that have to go first. **

Maybe if I were to cut them off my problems would be somewhat solved for the time being. Yeah, that would work! They'd be no trouble at all. They don't have a great blood supply so I wouldn't bleed too much, and my massive amount of hair would more than cover whatever pieces are left behind. I have nothing to worry about.

All I have to do now is find something sharp enough to cut them off cleanly. Sango's sword would work nicely. She slays demons all the time, so I highly doubt that getting a little of my blood on her sword would be a problem. Plus, her sword doesn't have a barrier around it so anyone can wield her weapon. I just have to take it from her when she is sleeping or would not miss it otherwise.

Maybe tonight when she's asleep would be a good time to do just that. Yeah, then I can take it, cut my ears off, and if I make a sound, no one will notice. That's just what I am going to do. If only the sun would set faster!

Owari for Now!

**Author's End Notes**: Hey guys! Let me know what you thought of this chapter….was it original enough, did I need to describe things better…should I continue this story or take it down? Let me Hear Your Thoughts and Improvements! Criticism is welcome, but overly harsh flames will be used to heat my tea. Until next time, Ja ne!


	2. Testing the Strength of a Hanyou's Resol...

**Author's Note: **Hiya again minna-san! I finally found some time to write, and my muse has returned for a short time on this story…Inspiration is a good thing…I hope you guys are enjoying this strange fic. of mine, even if you don't review!

**Disclaimer: **Only because I don't want to get flamed for not including this, I do not own InuYasha…I think this is common knowledge cuz we ARE on Fan Fiction writing about already published works….but whatever.

**Dedications: **I would like to dedicate this chapter to two people. First off, Valese for being my sounding board on this chapter! It's so nice to be able to share ideas with you…Thanks for the help, as your opinions always help improve my writing! Big hugs! And also to GoldAngel2 for being my first reviewer! I love hearing from you and it's so nice to have a 'mentor' of sorts! Thanks again!

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"**Life's Little Imperfections"**

**By: LadySword04**

**December 2004**

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Previously on LLI:**

**It's just those stupid ears that have to go first. **

Maybe if I were to cut them off my problems would be somewhat solved for the time being. Yeah, that would work! They'd be no trouble at all. They don't have a great blood supply so I wouldn't bleed too much, and my massive amount of hair would more than cover whatever pieces are left behind. I have nothing to worry about.

All I have to do now is find something sharp enough to cut them off cleanly. Sango's sword would work nicely. She slays demons all the time, so I highly doubt that getting a little of my blood on her sword would be a problem. Plus, her sword doesn't have a barrier around it so anyone can wield her weapon. I just have to take it from her when she is sleeping or would not miss it otherwise.

Maybe tonight when she's asleep would be a good time to do just that. Yeah, then I can take it, cut my ears off, and if I make a sound, no one will notice. That's just what I am going to do. If only the sun would set faster!

**

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Chapter Two: Testing the Strength of a Hanyou's Resolve**

(Normal POV)

Dinner that night in Kaede's hut was a quiet occasion even though the storm had finally arrived, raged, then blown itself out, thus allowing the group to see the last of the fading sunlight before night befell them. Inside the hut, the company ate their meal in silence.

Sango, Miroku, and Shippo were still peeved at the hanyou, and his mouth for forcing their good friend, Kagome to leave yet again, and the said hanyou had had enough of their demands to go apologize and bring her back. Little did they know that she had started it by bringing up a certain okami youkai named Koga and why his actions towards her angered InuYasha.

One has to give her credit though; InuYasha did slink off to be with Kikyo that night and Kagome witnessed everything. Who could blame her for being irate that he would get angry at her if Koga so much as flattered her when there he was busy hugging and professing his love to Kikyo before her very eyes?

Sango was sitting with Kirara in her lap as she sipped her soup all the while eyeing the houshi to make sure he did not try anything. Before dinner he had yet again groped her and received a few good whacks to the head with the boomerang bone for his inappropriate conduct. Needless to say, for good measure and because Sango had demanded it, Miroku was a good six feet away from the slayer.

Kaede had finished her meal and occupied herself with going over her supply of herbs while she waited for the others to finish so she could wash the dishes. InuYasha however had wolfed his meal down with gusto in an attempt to get away from the angry glares and tension in the room. He instead chose to go outside and use this time to sit in the shelter of the God Tree to think while he waited for everyone to call it a night and go to sleep.

'Just a few more hours and then I can finally start my transformation. After that, all I have to do is acquire territory and have Myoga create whatever papers I will need to rule my lands. I just have to get a territory close to my forest so I can keep an eye on everything. Come to think of it, I guess I need to stage a death for myself so no one will know that I am not who I say I am. If they know InuYasha is dead, then they won't compare me to him or mistake me for being him. In a way, InuYasha will be dead, for I am going to give myself a new name as well. Myoga just has to think up one for me so it's believable. And after that, I just have to dress differently and change my scent. Though I wonder what the hell I'm gonna' do with these prayer beads…they shouldn't be too hard to hide right?'

With that, he silently jumped down from the tree and headed over to the hut to see if his friends had fallen asleep yet.

'Musta' been up there longer than I thought; they're breathing is even with sleep. This is too perfect. I just gotta' get her sword.'

With that, InuYasha crept as if on padded paws over to Sango's form. Luckily for our favorite hanyou, Kirara and Shippo had been playing tag inside the hut after dinner and had fallen asleep where they landed in the far corner by Kaede.

When he arrived at her pallet, he began to kneel down until Sango inhaled sharply. InuYasha responded by halting his movements until she rolled over and fell back into the rhythm of slumber once more. This time though, when she moved, Sango ended up covering her sword with one hand before moving it closer to herself in her sleep.

'Damn it! Just when I get close, she has to make life harder! Curse her!'

However, being a determined and persistent being, InuYasha simply would not allow his goal elude him this night. He would get that sword and would not wake the slayer in the process if it killed him.

When he was satisfied that Sango had fallen asleep once more, InuYasha resumed his kneeling, and ended up looking very much like a dog with sleeves all around him as he crouched down. Finding his balance and moving to a true kneeling position, he reached out for the hilt and slowly wrapped his fingers around it tightly. Seeing that Sango had yet to change the rhythm of her breathing, he boldly put a hand on the sheath to prevent it from moving, and started to take the sword from the saya.

'This is going great! I've just about got it, and she's not waking up! Just a little bit. . ."

Just as the sword was three quarters out of the sheath, Sango's eyes snapped open and she whipped her boomerang bone in his direction before she realized she was not under attack. InuYasha narrowly dodged her swing but in the process lost his balance and fell backwards as he flung his arms and released her sword; which quite nicely made a home for itself on Kaede's wall a mere two feet above a sleeping Miroku's head. Miroku however, woke up a few seconds later and noticed what was going on before he bellowed in agitation at being disturbed, "What in the name of Kami is going on in here?"

To that Sango countered, "I'd like an explanation as well. What is the meaning of this? What were you doing leaning over me and trying to take my sword? I want an answer, and I want one now!" Noticing the flames around her and the scary look on her face, InuYasha backed away in fear before finding his voice once more.

"Feh! Like I have to answer you! It's none of your business."

"I think it concerns me if you attempt to steal my sword in the night for no reason while leaning over me, let alone disturb my sleep! I will have my answers NOW!" She roared.

To her last comments, InuYasha merely gave another "Keh" before he rushed out of the hut and into the branches of the tree that afforded him some form of sanctuary for the rest of the night.

In the mean time, Sango and Miroku shared worried glances. Both knew something was terribly wrong with their friend and both agreed to find out tomorrow by any means necessary.

"What in the world would he want with my sword? I just don't get it! I don't think he was going to kill me, but what use could he have for my sword when there is nothing wrong with his?" Sango asked Miroku as he was staring after his obviously troubled friend.

"I have no answers to your questions my dear Sango. He's not human tonight so he shouldn't need your sword. This is puzzling indeed. Come, we still have a few hours before sunrise; let's get back to sleep and not worry ourselves until the morning. I don't think he will try that again tonight. I will ask him what is troubling him so much myself after breakfast. Actually, Kagome is due back tomorrow or the day after if she's late again. Maybe she can get him to talk to her."

"That sounds like a good idea. Even if you can't get him to talk to you, Kagome has a way of getting certain things out of him. If the problem is as serious as it appears to be he will either deny it altogether even to her, or maybe feel the need to tell her something. We just have to fill her in on what happened and see if she can pester an answer out of him."

With that, the houshi and taijiya went back to sleep, this time though, Sango brought Kirara and Shippo with her.

Up in his tree, InuYasha was sulking. 'Looks like I won't be trying that again for the rest of tonight. Sango's probably gonna' be even more cautious with her sword now and tomorrow night, and no doubt those two will bug me about the incident in the morning. Great, just great! Kirara is probably gonna' be there too when she sleeps, and gettin' past that cat is not gonna be easy.

Knowing her she'd wake Sango up. . .unless I can get somethin' to distract her with. . .wait! What was that stuff that when it was burning it made her all happy and she refused to leave it?

It was some sort of leaf. I know it began with the word cat, and the other letter was 'n.' Cat nap. . .no. . .cat. . .nip. . .that's it! I just have to find some and give it to her then I can work on getting the sword! Perfect! That sword's as good as mine tomorrow night!' he thought triumphantly.

With that last thought, he leaned back against the trunk of the God Tree and closed his eyes. Even though he didn't intend on falling asleep, the land of dreams beckoned and he answered the call. Besides, tomorrow would be rather trying to say the least; he would need all the rest he could get if he was going to live through the interrogations of his friends when they all pounced on him.

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Owari for now!**

**Personal Review Replies: **

**GoldAngel2: **Thank-you very much! You're lucky to have seen the later episodes. I own the first season box set and I'm waiting for the second one to come out next year. Though I have seen random episodes from 28 to I think 62 on Adult Swim. I went out and bought the first movie, and on the 28th I can go get the second movie…I'm looking forward to watching it and I bet you are too! I can't wait to see them though! Wait, he thinks she dies?!? Now I Really want to see what happened! Thanks so much for putting me on your favorites list to keep tabs on this story. . .it means a lot to me! I hope to see ya' next chapter!

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Author's End Notes: Again, sorry for the short chapters, but this seemed to be like a good place to end, and I want something for the next chapter. Next time, IY faces Sango and Miroku as they begin their interrogations, another attempt to get the sword, and our favorite Miko might poke her head in for a bit as well.**

Leave a review for me would ya? My writing style has changed, and I feel like something's missing…any suggestions? Let me know!

Until next time!

LadySword04


	3. Testing the Strength of a Hanyou's Resol...

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own InuYasha or any characters affiliated with the series. Don't sue me either as most of my money has been spent on fixing my car after some idiot in the parking lot hit my rear bumper and drove off…hit and runs are great aren't they?

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Life's Little Imperfections **

**By LadySword04**

**December 2004**

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GoldAngel2:** Thanks for being my first reviewer on this story! However, I apologize for the last chapter. I did not realize that I had put up the wrong file originally that did not include a dedication or review reply to you, and I am very angry with myself for doing something so stupid. I feel like such a jerk. If you haven't seen it, the correct file was put up five minutes after, but I bet the whole e-mail alert thing sent the original one I posted. I hope beyond hope that I did not offend you! **

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Previously on LLI:**

With that last thought, he leaned back against the trunk of the God Tree and closed his eyes. Even though he didn't intend on falling asleep, the land of dreams beckoned and he answered the call. Besides, tomorrow would be rather trying to say the least; he would need all the rest he could get if he was going to live through the interrogations of his friends when they all pounced on him.

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Chapter Three: Testing the Strength of a Hanyou's Resolve (Part Two) **

Dawn had arrived with the sun peaking out from behind the clouds that had rolled in during the night. She stretched her golden fingers over the land as she slowly called each diurnal creature back to the waking world. A few rays of her beautiful light meandered across Inuyasha's face as he slept, warming the flesh the beams came in contact with, and causing his lids to flutter open to take in the sight of the morning sky.

A few wispy white cumulonimbus clouds decorated the horizon which by now had turned shades of pink, purple, orange, and yellow; off directly behind Inuyasha was a moon that was almost full among a cluster of barely visible stars.

However, the beauty of the scene was not at all appreciated by the brooding inu hanyou as his mind was fifty years in the past during his routine morning 'meditation' on a certain undead miko.

After about an hour or so of brooding, Inuyasha looked to the sun to see how much longer he had until the group woke up and called him in for breakfast, and the questioning they most certainly would force him to deal with.

'I just hope that those three humans and kitsune stay asleep longer than normal. I ain't talkin' to them about my plan that's for sure. And I'm definitely not telling them why I want that sword either. I'm just glad Kagome wasn't here when this happened, and probably won't be 'til later tonight. For once though, I wouldn't mind if she came back a whole day late, though I better keep watch of that well to make sure she doesn't come through at a bad time.' He thought darkly from his perch.

Making his way to the well at a light jog, he knelt by its' side, placed his crossed arms on the top wood planks and heaved a heavy sigh before he peered into the darkness. After a few moments of staring into the nothingness of the well, he whispered into its inky depths, "Kagome, please for once come late if you come back at all."

His whispered prayer complete, Inuyasha ran back to the hut to make sure his friends did not miss his presence. 'Not being there when they wake up will make them wonder more, then ask me additional questions as to where I went. I don't want to deal with that.'

Fortunately for him, by the time he got back to the hut his friends were just starting to wake up. 'I guess the disturbance I caused must have stolen a few hours of sleep from them last night. They must have been trying to regain those lost hours by sleeping in late. Good, they probably didn't notice I was gone.' When he looked into the window, Kaede had just rekindled the flames to start boiling water for the group's breakfast.

To avoid suspicion, Inuyasha strode in like he did every morning; brushing the reed mat aside so it flapped a few times before settling into place. He then promptly sat down cross legged on the floor while eagerly awaiting Kaede to finish cooking the meal. Kaede never missed a beat in her work, and merely went about her business as usual.

When she was mostly finished with her stew, Miroku and Sango were wide awake, and both were quickly joined by Kirara and Shippo. The usual morning greetings occurred before the room fell silent as everyone ate.

'The proverbial calm before the storm as Kagome would say. They're being quiet now while trying to act normal, but I know different. I know they're gonna' start questioning me after they finish eating. Better get it over with, the sooner the better.' Inuyasha reasoned.

His meal finished, Inuyasha stalked out to the base of the Goshinboku tree to await the inevitable arrival of his friends. An hour had elapsed and his friends had yet to arrive; not that he was complaining. This time alone gave him time to think about his plan.

'Maybe tonight I can try using my sword on my ears since I can't get Sango's from her. It should transform for me even if the moon is almost full, though holding it properly enough to slice my ears off completely will still be awkward. I will only have one hand to support this heavy thing, as I know I'm gonna' have to use the other to hold my ear still enough to get a clean cut. Come to think of it, I had better not try to stage a death for myself either. I don't have the time, and it will be too complicated. Not to mention the fact that I would definitely have to tell the houshi and taijiya why I need to have their assistance and cooperation on this task. That would require talking to them, and mean more questions for me to answer. Then if they know that the whole thing was staged, they might slip up and call me by name and blow my cover permanently. I can't afford that now or ever if my plan is to work.'

With that final thought he jumped up into a fairly high branch where he felt he would not be seen from the ground by his friends. 'I think a short nap would be a good idea. That way I can stay up all night tonight and stay awake tomorrow when Kagome should definitely be back. I am after all half demon, and as such I should not need as much sleep as a normal human. I should be fine pulling an 'all-nighter' as she would say. Plus, the day should pass faster if I sleep it away. I'll know if she gets here, though she's not due back by afternoon at the earliest, though knowing Kagome, it'll probably be late evening before she comes back; no matter though as I am not going to get her. She's gonna' have to come back here and apologize to me first. Though I do wonder what she's doing right now. Judging by the position of the sun in the sky, she's probably still in school taking those test things again. Who cares anyway?' "Feh!" Letting out a small yawn before stretching, Inuyasha laid out on his perch and closed his eyes as he waited for sleep to pull him under once more.

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Meanwhile 500 years in the future

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Kagome was currently in her third class of the day enjoying yet another fascinating lecture on geometry. 'B-o-r-i-n-g! I mean how difficult does he think proofs are? I can do this in my sleep!'

Much to her delight, the rest of her day slipped by quickly and without any problems, gym class with Hojo included. Quickly and without problems that is until Kagome went to her last class.

As soon as everyone had greeted the teacher, and he acknowledged the class, they all sat down as Mr. Sotatsu began his lecture with an announcement about a quiz on the differences between mitosis and meiosis that would be given tomorrow. As if that was not bad enough, he mentioned that the students had to draw diagrams of both processes, label each stage, and describe everything that was occurring in each particular phase.

'Oh MAN! Inuyasha's definitely going to have my head when I go back. That stupid teacher of mine decided to have a quiz tomorrow, and it figures that biology is my last subject of the day! Well, he hasn't come to get me yet, so I am willing to bet he's either forgotten the three day rule, or that he would be fine with letting me stay here for another day. I am so looking forward to my weekend! This quiz is not going to be fun.' She thought while trying to pay attention to the lecture.

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Back in Feudal Japan

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Inuyasha ended up sleeping most of the day; that is until he heard Kaede open what sounded like a cup of ramen as she and Sango were making lunch. He practically fell out of the tree in his haste to make a beeline for the hut and the ramen that would be waiting for him. That morning, soon after the chores were done and everyone was done digesting their meals, Shippo and Kirara had convinced (more like pestered to death out of sheer boredom) Miroku and Sango to play a long game of hide and seek to pass the time before Sango had to go inside to help with lunch. Miroku was glad for both breaks. Sitting around the hut was not something he enjoyed doing for days on end, and the game of hide and seek was a great way to get outside and exercise. However when Sango quit, the game ceased which Miroku was glad for as well; running around seeking out the hiding places of his friends got to be rather tiring after awhile.

As of late, Kagome had been leaving a lot of her foodstuffs from her time here with Kaede so that when she was absent no one, in particular Inuyasha and Shippo, would have to miss out on their favorite of her time's luxuries. Well that, and the fact that she did not like want to lug the extra weight around in her pack if she didn't need to. After a bit of convincing, and much to Kagome's delight, even Kaede had tried a few items and decided she liked them.

Lunch came and went, the dishes were done again, and everyone sat back to relax and chat after the meal. Surprisingly, no one brought up the topic of last night's incident.

'Ok this is weird. Usually they're all over me for answers. So far they both are acting like the whole thing never happened. Either they're planning something, or they feel like they won't get an answer out of me regardless of what they do. Not that I mind or nothin'; I hate it when they poke and prod me with their questions when they don't have any business poking their noses in my personal life.' Inuyasha then began pondering the possibilities as to what drastic measures his friends might take to extract information from him later that day.

Had Inuyasha been paying attention, he would have heard Sango, Miroku, and Kaede discussing the fact that the three of them would need to go and assist Kaede on an errand in an adjacent village that had a family in need of a healer such as herself. Of course, Miroku and Sango jumped at the chance to get out of the hut for a change, and had eagerly accepted the offer as Kaede might need to be protected from some form of evil on their trip.

They reasoned that Shippo and Kirara would stay with Inuyasha to make sure he didn't try anything in their absence, and that he didn't beat up on the poor little kitsune youkai while they were gone. When Kaede had left to clean the dishes, the two shared knowing glances while they waited for the hanyou to come back to reality from where ever his mind had wandered to.

Of course, just when Inuyasha tuned into the real world again, his friends decided to start their questioning.

That said, Miroku carefully asked, "Inuyasha, we have waited all night and all morning for an answer from you. Please, tell us what has been troubling you will you?"

To that he snapped, "There's nothin' wrong with me. Lay off monk. Go bother someone else."

Slightly irked at the barrier Inuyasha was quickly putting up, Miroku became bolder when he reasoned, "There is no logical explanation as to why you would want Sango's sword when you have a perfectly good one strapped to your waist."

"It's none of your business you nosey monk! I ain't answerin' you or your pointless questions. Not now, not ever." Inuyasha spat angrily.

Sango stood up while she narrowed her eyes and glared menacingly at Inuyasha before she spoke in a deceptively silken voice that tried somewhat successfully to hide her anger. "Like I told you last night Inuyasha, it is MY business because that Was MY sword you tried to take last night, and MY SLEEP you Interrupted. I want an answer."

"Fine, I wanted your sword so I could KILL you both for annoying me! You Happy now?"

"I know that's not the truth Inuyasha."

His only response was, "Feh. Whatever," before his friend once again waved him off and headed outside.

"Well, that didn't go as well as we hoped it would. We got nothing out of him. He's trying hard to hide something. I only hope Kagome can get it out of him before he ends up hurting himself or someone in our group." Sango stated to Miroku.

A half an hour later found the hanyou up a tree as his friends bid him farewell for the rest of the day, and told him they would return before sundown at the earliest. He was also told there was ramen left for everyone, and not to try anything stupid while they were gone. Shippo and Kirara were currently taking a nap inside the hut after the meal as they tuckered themselves out while playing tag, and then stuffed themselves to the breaking point at lunch. Tryptophan is such a wonderful thing.

'Well, they'll be out for awhile. Since there's noffin' better to do, I guess I should catch up on some sleep too. Kami I sleep a lot when I'm bored.' He mused before jumping into a lower branch of his favorite tree and reclining to rest until the others got back. . .or his stomach woke him.

By sundown that night, his friends were not within scenting range so Inuyasha went about making ramen for himself and his two 'companions' as the scent of him cooking would wake them and their appetites up. All three ate in silence, and when they were done, the two young demons curled back up to go to sleep while Inuyasha kept watch in the Goshinboku Tree for his friends, the old hag, and any demons that would be stupid enough to bug him.

Roughly an hour later his friends came up the path, and by the time they reached the hut they were too exhausted to notice the cups of ramen everywhere, let alone do anything other than set their supplies on the floor and hit the hay for a well deserved rest. The village was a good distance away and they did not have Kirara to help shorten the journey either. They arrived at their destination about four hours before the sun was due to drop below the horizon, and they still had yet to provide their assistance to the family that needed their help.

As luck would have it, the family that had mysteriously fallen ill about three days prior to the trio's arrival had in fact been the victims of a manipulative young snake demon that had chosen to invade one of the statues in the family's Shinto shrine.

Miroku and Kaede were able to exorcise the demon and lure it outside to a waiting Sango who made quick work of the huge snake. Realizing that no snake demon she ever fought was that large, and that the pieces were still moving, Sango picked through the remains to find a jewel shard before she asked Miroku to clean up the mess with his wind tunnel as there were no parts she could use.

Kaede had then tended to the amount of poison in each member's body, as well as any injuries they had received due to the encounter. As repayment for their help, the family insisted that the trio stay for a meal, which all three willingly accepted, and helped to explain why the group had arrived at Kaede's hut later than they had anticipated.

And as soon as his friends had once again fallen into the grasp of the dream world once again, Inuyasha went to the forest near the well. He wanted to be hidden by the trees and foliage, but still within viewing distance of the well in case Kagome came through. He didn't want her to discover him until his task was complete.

Taking in a calming breath and reassuring himself that this was what he wanted to do, Inuyasha sat down indian style and drew his sword. Focusing like he always did to get the sword to transform, he was satisfied when Tetsusaiga did just that. His hands raised the sword into position as the light from the moon reflected off the steel.

Very carefully, Inuyasha removed his left hand from the hilt in order to grab his left ear. Lifting the sword into position, he continued his self talk that consisted of 'This is what I want. I want to be rid of these stupid things once and for all and this is the only way to do it.'

With one swift motion, Inuyasha flicked the sword at his ear yet he was surprised to say the least when the sword reverted back to normal proportions, therefore not leaving so much as a scratch.

"Kuso. That bites. Guess the worthless thing refuses to hurt its wielder. If I want to get this done, I have to figure something out at least." With that last comment, he fell silent and deep into thought when an idea struck him. 'If I can find a youkai and then get my sword to transform, maybe Tetsusaiga will remain in its real state long enough for me to cut off my ears. That should work.'

Before he allowed himself to finish he was off like a shot to find some lesser youkai to kill. With his incredible speed, and within a ten minute time period, he located one as it was feeding and attacked. However, much to the inu hanyou's utter disbelief and disappointment, his sword reverted back to its previous form once again when he tried to slice off his ears even though his opponent was not struck dead.

'Maybe my claws will work then since this piece of rubbish isn't cooperating.' That said, he tried and failed once more as every time his claws came in contact with his ears he couldn't suppress the urge to both move his ears and take his hand away; apparently the action somewhat tickled, and he wouldn't get a good cut if his ears insisted on moving, or if he was laughing. A sword was his only real option.

'I guess I have to go another night without cutting off my ears. I need Sango's sword, and I need to get that cat nip stuff tomorrow too. Right now though I better get all this blood off of me before it dries cuz' then it will be that much harder to clean, and I am not going to reek of demon all night long. That'll only remind me of how much I long to be a true demon and I don't need to be distracted right now. Tomorrow night I am GOING to get that sword and I am DEFINITELY going to cut my ears off no matter what.'

All that said and done, Inuyasha headed for the hot springs to rinse off before taking a swift run through the forest to dry off and eventually head to his tree. Tomorrow would come soon enough, and with it, the promise that he could accomplish his task if a certain miko would give him time to do so.

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To be continued **

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Author's end note:** Ok another chapter done. Next one will have more action I promise! This one was seven pages long in word…the others have been three to four…as always I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! And if anyone is still reading this, I hope you review…even if it's to tell me that you absolutely HATE how I write or the idea, or anything, I would love to hear it! I still feel that I am searching for that ever elusive element that my writing lacks and that every author I admire has in their work. It's frustrating…and to be more descriptive, like I have said to my literature professor, I kinda' feel like a third grader trying to write a high school quality essay. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! 

Until Next time, Ja ne!

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Review Replies: **

**Valese: **Thanks so much for the comment about the writing style of the first chapter, and I'm happy you like the idea! You're welcome for the dedication thing last chapter! You're the best! Hugs, smiles, waves! Hope to see you next chapter, and I will definitely talk to you again on IM…I can't wait! Talk to ya soon!


	4. The Problem With Oversleeping on a Nearl...

**Author's Note: **I hope you all had a HAPPY HOLIDAYS and here's wishing you a HAPPY NEW YEAR too!

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Inuyasha or any characters affiliated with the series. I am simply borrowing the characters for the duration of this story. It's sick I know…taking already established characters and forcing them to do what I want them to do, but I guess if all of us are doing so I think I am okay.

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Life's Little Imperfections **

**By LadySword04**

**December 25-31, 2004**

**Previously on LLI: **

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'I guess I have to go another night without cutting off my ears. I need Sango's sword, and I need to get that cat nip stuff tomorrow too. Right now though I better get all this blood off of me before it dries cuz' then it will be that much harder to clean, and I am not going to reek of demon all night long. That'll only remind me of how much I long to be a true demon and I don't need to be distracted right now. Tomorrow night I am GOING to get that sword and I am DEFINITELY going to cut my ears off no matter what.' 

All that said and done, Inuyasha headed for the hot springs to rinse off before taking a swift run through the forest to dry off and eventually head to his tree. Tomorrow would come soon enough, and with it, the promise that he could accomplish his task if a certain miko would give him time to do so.

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Chapter Four: The Problem With Oversleeping on a Nearly Full Moon **

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Same as always the sun rose above the horizon the next morning, and brought with her the promise of a new day to accomplish personal goals. Had Inuyasha been paying attention and waiting for the sun to rise, he would have sworn that today the sun took longer than normal to assume her place in the sky and paint her backdrop of both cool and warm colors. 

However, the hanyou was on a mission this morning. He had remained untouched by sleep throughout the night as he had slept almost all of the previous day and was now determined to find a certain herb.

Trouble was he couldn't exactly remember the way the plant smelled or what it looked like for that matter, and these small details were causing quite a problem. He had spent the majority of his time roaming the woods and even Kaede's garden with the hope of coming up with something, but every time he thought he had the right plant, one or more qualities immediately threw each herb out of the running.

'No. . .no. . .Ah ha! No wait. . .nope. . .that doesn't smell right. . .and that one doesn't look right. . .that one looks too similar to the other thing I saw. . .gross, that one is just nasty. . .this looks like the one to decrease swelling. . .no, too many flowers. . .this is the wrong color. . .Where the HECK is this darn stuff!?! If I don't get the right plant, Kirara won't be distracted enough to let me get to Sango and her sword. Not to mention that I could end up poisoning the darn animal, and then both Sango and Kagome would certainly kill me. I just wonder which will be more painful, being 'sat' to death, or being beaten senseless by that dumb boomerang thing.' He irritably groused.

Deciding to give his so far fruitless quest a much needed rest, Inuyasha headed back to the hut. 'If I get there before the old hag starts breakfast, maybe I can ask her what the plant looks like or at least smells like. I hate to admit it, but I need her help to get what I want. I just have to come up with a round about way of askin' for the information so she doesn't get suspicious.'

Thought completed and mission currently put on hold, Inuyasha raced back to the hut with the hope that Kaede had not yet begun her morning cooking. He arrived at the hut a few moments later and proceeded to silently stalk his way to the door.

'Good, I still hear Miroku snoring, Shippo's twitching in his sleep, and both Sango and Kirara are breathing evenly. Kaede is moving around now, better be quick.'

With that, he carefully brushed the reed mat aside before he crossed his arms and leaned on the wall as he waited by the fire pit for Kaede to arrive. Before she was able to utter a word, Inuyasha had glared at her while then turning and raising an open palm to face her in an attempt to signal to her that her silence was required.

As soon as she got the message, he walked up to the mat and motioned for her to follow, which she silently did. When both had moved far enough away from the hut for Inuyasha to be pleased, he turned to Kaede as he waited for her to ask her question.

"What is troubling ye Inuyasha, and why did ye bring this old woman so far away from her hut?"

"I want information, and I don't wanna' wake up the rest of the group. Soon as Kagome gets back we're on our way to findin' jewel shards again so they'll need all the sleep they can get."

Raising an eyebrow, and with a smile on her face she asked, "What information do ye seek that I could possibly answer?"

"It's an herb, Cat nip to be exact."

"Aye, and what do ye need this for? You're a dog demon. . ."

Irritation at not getting a straight answer began to show in the form of Inuyasha's next response. "I don't need it for me you old hag and that's none of your business either." 'Smooth, real smooth, curse me and my big mouth!'

"Well then, this 'old hag' will just withhold her information seeing as she has no reason to provide ye with an answer."

"Fine, fine whatever. There's a youkai a few miles from where a jewel shard is rumored to be. Something's tellin' me that there's a neko youkai guardian with the ability to teleport and multiply that's easily defeated with the stupid herb." He answered in a huff while crossing his arms and placing his hands inside the folds of his sleeves.

"Ah, so ye are simply looking out for the safety of your friends then ne?"

"If you're sayin' that I can't defeat that thing on my own you're dead wrong! I don't see the need to endanger anyone here before the real battle starts. It would be senseless to go into a huge battle half dead if it can be avoided. Having one of them injured or dead would only slow me down anyway. Not to mention that I don't want to waste the time or energy on a creature that doesn't have a shard if I can help it. So now are you gonna' give me my information? You happy now?" He angrily spat.

"I never said anything of the sort, and yes I am going to give ye the information that ye seek, but only after ye eat." Kaede replied with a heavy sigh. However, she was going to have a little fun with the hanyou for his lack of respect.

That said and done, both the human and the hanyou walked back into the hut to find the remainder of the group just waking up and looking for breakfast. Kaede lit a fire and began boiling water like she did every morning to make her famous stew. While they waited Inuyasha had returned to his tree and Shippo went back to sleep.

Sango was quietly stroking Kirara as she talked to Kaede while Miroku sat 'meditating' or should it be said daydreaming either about all the girls he had groped or the next time he could reacquaint himself with Sango's rear.

Smelling that breakfast was ready, Inuyasha leapt out of his tree and made a bee-line for his spot in the hut. A few moments later the meal was served and everyone silently dug in. Inuyasha was done first as usual, but instead of heading back to his tree after he ate, he waited where he sat for his answer.

After noticing that Kaede would be awhile longer, Inuyasha decided to give a heavy sigh before rising, rolling his eyes and then looking Kaede before heading outside. He went to the location where his discussion with the old miko had taken place earlier that morning to wait for her to arrive and give him the information he so desired.

By the time the priestess arrived, the sun had already displaced the moon in the sky and turned her canvas a light blue color. 'Jeeze, took her long enough.'

Noticing that his ears were turned in her direction, Kaede sat down in the long grass and spoke. "Inuyasha, do ye still require information or not?"

"No, I want you to tell that tree over there. Of course I want an answer! You sure made me wait long enough." Was the only answer she received as he turned to face her and sit down in front of her.

"Alright, this old woman understands that ye are in a hurry so I will be quick in my description. Though I may not be able to describe the scent well enough for that inu nose ye possess, I should be able to describe how it looks to ye."

"Fine, whatever information you got is better than what I've been goin' on."

"Cat nip is green in color, has a sweet smell, and at this time of year it should have dull white and purple speckled flowers. Its leaves are shaped like very elongated hearts in that they have a sharp point at the end and are rounded and heart shaped where they come in contact with the stalk. Each leaf should have many deep veins and some more shallow ones, giving them all a crinkly look. One stalk that rises from the ground, should give rise to four leaves, and the smell should be somewhat strong as well. Ye should also be able to notice that the vein that runs along the middle is the deepest part of the leaf as the edges curl up into a 'v' shape. All around the edges should be multiple half circles placed side by side to form a fringe of sorts. Hopefully that should be enough information for ye to find the plant. Good luck Inuyasha."

"I just have one more question, where exactly do I find such a plant?"

Deciding against leading the hanyou on a wild goose chase that would take him all day, Kaede simply responded with, "There should still be some in the center of the forest that was named after ye. Oh and one more thing, the rest of us are heading into the next village to assist the miko that has been overwhelmed with the number of villagers that have mysteriously been getting sick of late. We should be back later tonight."

With a satisfied sounding huff, Inuyasha was off like a shot through his forest. The next four hours of his time were spent combing through the undergrowth in his search for the elusive plant. So far, he had five sprigs of different herbs that fit Kaede's description; obviously, she had not been specific enough for Inuyasha.

So, the inu hanyou spent even more time trying to find any other plant that might work. Lucky for him, he remembered to pick herbs that smelled sweet and had four, not three leaves, or else he would have ended up spending weeks itching and further spreading poison ivy or sumac over his arms.

In the meantime, Kaede and the rest of the group headed out to a village close by. Upon arrival, a few healthy children welcomed them to the village and led them to the miko's hut as they had been instructed. Within minutes the miko, Kasumi, walked back into her home and offered her own greeting while filling her guests in on what had been occurring over the past few days.

As expected, Kasumi was indeed beautiful with long flowing onyx locks that reached her waist, ice blue eyes, and a figure to die for even though it was hidden under all those robes. Needless to say, Sango had to remind Miroku to behave on more than one occasion.

Oddly enough, Kasumi informed Kaede that no child had been harmed, as only the adults over the age of twenty were affected. No one knew what was going on, and the affected villagers had a myriad of symptoms. So far the miko had been trying her best to provide supportive care while treating each symptom as it appeared, but her efforts were in vain as no one was improving.

The first thing Miroku suspected was an evil creature sporting a shikon jewel fragment that was lurking somewhere nearby. Sango and Kirara went out to investigate the entire village, and even a half mile into the surrounding forest as they had been advised by Kaede.

Their search turned up absolutely nothing. Had a demon or sorceress cast a spell on the adults, he or she would have to remain within a half mile radius at the most; even the most powerful of sorceresses would not be able to maintain a spell over an entire village for a prolonged period of time from a distance.

Kaede and Miroku used the time where Sango was out investigating the forest to more closely examine each household. After two hours of searching every shrine and hut, the two returned to Kasumi's hut both to await her return and that of the slayer and her companion. Roughly an hour later, the miko returned from her rounds and sat down to discuss the condition of her patients and ask about the progress on the group's search for whatever was the cause of this illness.

Sango reported that she and Kirara had found nothing in their search, and the same went for Kaede and Miroku. That's when Shippo asked a brilliant question from Sango's lap.

"I don't get it. If Naraku isn't doing this, and no sorceress is either than what could be doing this? Do each of these people have something in common like a daily activity?"

He was rewarded with a pat on the head by Miroku and a favoring smile from the village miko. "Four days ago there was a cleansing ritual in the village that only people twenty and older could participate in, and a day later they all fell ill."

"What exactly does this cleansing ritual entail?" Miroku asked.

"That information has been guarded for generations, and only members of my village are privileged enough to know what goes on. But I can tell you that a special herb mixture is used to cleanse the body and spirit." Kasumi responded.

"And may this old woman get a look at the mortar and pestle that ye used to mix this concoction up in, as well as the ritual vessel that was used to distribute the potion to the villagers?"

"While I can show you the mortar and pestle, the vessel is only brought out once a year for the ritual."

"Aye, that should be fine." With that Kaede stood and followed Kasumi over to the corner where her mortar and pestle were located. Almost immediately Kaede gasped and clapped a hand over her mouth in horror.

There, shining from the bottom of the pestle was an ominous black light. Kaede picked up the object and found what she believed to be the cause of the problem. Inside the bottom of the pestle was a black shikon shard. Picking it out of the pestle, Kaede turned to Kasumi and asked her, "Did ye not notice the tainted sacred jewel shard in the pestle? Is this the pestle that ye mix every herbal remedy up in?"

"So then, it would appear that Naraku once again had a hand in another evil occurrence." Sango thoughtfully replied.

After the initial shock had worn off, Kasumi replied, "I do not have the same spiritual powers that you have elder Kaede, so no I did not realize the shard was there, and to answer your second question, yes this is the set I mix my remedies up in. Do you mean to tell me that every time I have been trying to help the villagers, I have ended up poisoning them further?"

"Aye, that must be the case. I believe that with the shard now removed, any potion or remedy ye create from now on can only help. This old woman also believes that if ye continue to give the people of this village the same supportive care that ye have been giving, then they should begin to improve within the next few days." Was the wise remark from Kaede.

"When the vessel is brought out again next year may I have you inspect it?" Kasumi inquisitively asked the older miko.

"Of course, I would be honored to do so." Kaede stated.

That said and done, the group assisted Kasumi in gathering herbs and mixing up more of the remedies she needed before they were to be distributed to each villager. After that was done, the group noticed how the sun had already begun her descent behind the mountains, and wisely decided to get back as soon as possible after saying farewell and wishing Kasumi well. Luckily enough, Kirara was able to take Sango and Kaede, and Shippo transformed into a pink bubble that Miroku was able to ride home on. They arrived shortly before nightfall and quickly began making dinner.

Roughly an hour ago, Inuyasha had finished up his search and headed home with his collection of twelve sprigs of different herbs that closely matched the description Kaede had given to him. He quickly bounded over to his tree where he tied the stalks together before hiding his stash up in one of the higher branches; he didn't want Kirara to find it before he was ready for her to do so.

Again the meal came and went with little if any spoken words. Either the group members were too tired and hungry to feel like speaking, or the tension, anticipation, and frustration that both their inactivity and waiting for Kagome's return was at a level that they feared talking would cause someone to snap.

As soon as dinner was over, Sango took Shippo and Kirara to the hot springs to relieve tension and get clean. Miroku turned in early for the night, and Inuyasha went to sit and brood in his tree while Kaede cleaned up before she was due to go to bed.

Pretty much everyone in the group had at least one thought in common that night. "I wonder what is taking Kagome so long to get back. She's more than a day late. I hope nothing happened to her. Inuyasha will have to go get her now which I know he doesn't want to do. Maybe the fight about Koga with Kagome was the last straw and she's decided to never return. I hope that isn't the case though as I would hate to lose a friend I consider like a younger sister." Sango spoke to no one in particular as she whispered her thoughts into the dead of night.

She dried off before dressing and heading back to the hut with her two friends. When they got back, Sango dropped to her pallet after removing her weapons. Getting settled, she motioned for Kirara and Shippo to join her if they felt so inclined to do so.

Little did she know that a lone pair of ever watchful amber eyes happened to be observing her and planning their next move. As soon as everyone had fallen into a deep slumber, Inuyasha grabbed his secret weapon and stalked over to Sango's sleeping form. As expected, Kirara was awoken by his approach and mewed warily once at him.

In the blink of an eye, Inuyasha took his cat nip supply and waved it in front of the neko youkai, and almost as quickly, Kirara jumped up and tried to grab one of the sprigs. Reacting even faster than Kirara's paw could fly, Inuyasha moved to the far corner of the hut and waved his prize at her. Without a moment's hesitation, Kirara ran over to him and waited expectantly for the hanyou to give her what she wanted.

Seeing that he had her attention, and most definitely had gotten the right herbs, Inuyasha smugly smirked before allowing Kirara to take the correct sprig. To his surprise, she ran outside with the plant in her mouth before curling up contentedly on top of it and mewing with contentment.

Returning to the task at hand, Inuyasha once more stalked over to Sango only to be confronted with Shippo's sleeping form too. Deciding that it would be best if the kitsune was moved, Inuyasha carefully picked him up before setting the young youkai down on the pallet Kagome slept in when she was with them. Luckily for Inuyasha, Shippo curled up in the hay and snuggled deeper under his blanket while remaining asleep.

Now he had two down, and one to go. For the third time that night, the inu hanyou carefully made his way over to Sango. In her desire to get to sleep quickly, Sango had left her sword unguarded and on the floor just in front of her. Deciding that unsheathing the weapon here would wake her up as it did the last time, he decided to take the sword and sheath with him. Silently he crouched down and retrieved the weapon before making his way out of the hut with his trophy.

'Victory is mine! Now I can finally do what I need to do, and better yet there's no miko around to stop me! Things couldn't get any better than this' he mentally celebrated. Now outside of the hut, Inuyasha stepped confidently out into the light of the moon that was close enough to being full that only a sliver remained black.

The light played over his features, his haori, the sword in his hands and the one at his side as he moved in the open. His shadow trailed behind him like a faithful animal companion. Realizing that he probably had all night, Inuyasha just briskly walked over to the well, and into the trees close by.

He made sure to hide both himself and his shadow from view as he crouched down. However, he also made sure to keep himself within viewing and hearing range of the well should Kagome come back before he could accomplish his task.

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Meanwhile 500 years into the future

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Kagome was sitting in her last class of the day, cramming before he biology quiz that Sotatsu-sensei had dumped on his class.

'Ok, so Mitosis involves the creation of somatic or body cells…phases are interphase, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase, and then cytokinesis. Meiosis is where gametes are created. . .the stages are the same, though there is a phase one and two to this process, and each stage.' After studying her pictures for a few more minutes, Kagome closed her book feeling ready to take on the world. 'Alright! I think I got it! Bring it on Mr. Sotatsu!'

Thirty five minutes later found Kagome finishing up her test. While the diagrams, descriptions, and phases did not give her any problems, the final four questions that were from a previous lecture she had missed were killing her. She then realized that she had only ten more minutes before time was called, so she decided to put down whatever she thought made sense and hope she got partial credit at least.

Class ended right on time, and Kagome had finished just in time. Her three friends, Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi were waiting for her so they could discuss how they felt they did on the test like they usually did. However, Kagome didn't feel like doing that at all so she decided to excuse herself and go home.

She had tuned out their banter minutes ago, and out of nowhere just began speaking, clearly oblivious to the fact she had cut Eri off. "Sorry guys, but I am not feeling too well right now. I think I am gonna' go home and take a nap. I'll catch up with you all later ok?"

To that they all just nodded and told her to feel better soon.

Kagome arrived home fifteen minutes later to find a note on the fridge that said her mom and grandpa would be picking Sota up from school early for a doctor's appointment, and would be home after they went to pick up some things from the grocery store.

'Figures, every time I am home, they have to go somewhere. Oh well. I need a nap before I go back to see Inuyasha. I really hope this headache goes away. Light and sound are really starting to bother me!' With that, Kagome dragged herself up to her room, flopped down onto her bed and set her alarm clock to wake her up at five-thirty. As soon as she closed her eyes, she was gone into the land of dreams.

Her alarm sounded promptly at the time it was set to go off, but Kagome decided to hit the snooze button and get the extra five minutes she wanted. Little did she realize that she had unconsciously turned the alarm off after she hit the snooze button. Needless to say, that extra five minutes turned into an extra hour and a half. By the time she woke up it was seven at night.

"That felt so good to sleep. I am so glad my headache is gone! Wait, it's too dark to be five-thirty. . .what time is it?"

Turning her head to her clock, she freaked out and screamed when she saw the seven. Hurriedly, she grabbed her bag and ran downstairs to put a note on the fridge to tell her mother where she was going. Grabbing a snack bar and opening it as she ran, Kagome arrived at the shrine, slid the doors open, jumped down the stairs, and leapt into the well as she took a bite of her 'dinner.'

"Oh man! Inuyasha is going to KILL me! I am more than a day late, and it's already dark outside. I just hope I don't run into anything dangerous tonight before I can get to the hut! Maybe I can slip in unnoticed. . .Nah, Inuyasha would smell then hear me for sure. . .maybe I should come back tomorrow morning super early then." Kagome thought out loud.

It was at this point in time when our favorite miko heard then saw something that made her freeze in her tracks, her blood run cold, and the air in her lungs escape in one big rush.

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To be continued **

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Author's Notes:** Ok, so there are two chapters left at most. I hope to have this story wrapped up in the next one though. . .but I'll just have to see. Every time I make a plan, I find myself changing it in some way. Anyways, this chapter was even longer than last time. . .eight and one-half whole pages! 

And what could she have possibly seen? Find out in the next chapter, **Explanations In The Moonlight**! See ya' then!

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Personal Review Replies: **

**GoldAngel2: **Don't feel bad for not reviewing the last chapter right when it came out…no you're not bad at all, I myself am guilty of doing the same thing! I understand the issue with work completely. . .I too have been working a lot lately therefore the lack of updates. If anyone is bad, it's me! Thanks so much for the compliment, I hope this story is living up to your expectations of it. Oh you're so lucky to have all the episodes and the three movies and manga. I have the first nineteen translated manga volumes, the six ani-manga ones, the first two movies now, and the first season box set…still waiting on the next one to come out. I loved the 'not the brightest light in the marquee' comment you made, I haven't heard that one before, very creative as always! And thanks again for the encouraging words about reviews or the lack thereof. Maybe in a few years when the series finally ends over here that new stories will slow down just enough to let each story get the attention they deserve. I can't wait to read the one you have been planning though, and you can bet I will check out the one shots you have written! See you next chapter!


	5. Explanations in the Moonlight

**Author's Note: **As I predicted, this will NOT be the final chapter of Life's Little Imperfections. Work has been crazy, inspiration at an all time low over break, and I have been sick twice (still sick now). There will be one more after this chapter I promise for sure! I am just having issues with keeping everyone in character, that and I know where I want to go but I am having trouble getting there. Never fear though, I am working on this! I just wanted to put what I had written down so far so that I didn't keep you in suspense for too long!

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Inuyasha or any characters affiliated with the series. I am simply borrowing the characters for the duration of this story.

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Life's Little Imperfections**

**By LadySword04**

**January 1-17, 2005**

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Previously on LLI:**

"Oh man! Inuyasha is going to KILL me! I am more than a day late, and it's already dark outside. I just hope I don't run into anything dangerous tonight before I can get to the hut! Maybe I can slip in unnoticed. . .Nah, Inuyasha would smell then hear me for sure. . .maybe I should come back tomorrow morning super early then." Kagome thought out loud.

It was at this point in time when our favorite miko heard then saw something that made her freeze in her tracks, her blood run cold, and the air in her lungs escape in one big rush.

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Chapter Five: Explanations in the Moonlight**

Her ears picked up a sound that was emanating from the forest slightly off to her left. To be more specific, the sound was in fact a feral growling followed by an oddly familiar voice murmuring words she couldn't clearly decipher. Curiosity peaked, she silently began creeping toward the source of the noise.

At this point in time, Kagome noticed the glimmer of something metallic as the light of the moon reflected off the object's shiny surface. Looking more closely at the shape, Kagome noticed the sliver of light was in fact bouncing off of a sword.

Becoming increasingly horrified that she was going to be attacked at any given moment, she froze once again and looked on expecting to see whatever that thing out there would do. Would it charge and then attack her? Could she sneak by without detection? Would Inuyasha come to save her in time? Only time could give her an answer.

Waiting for the inevitable, Kagome braced herself for whatever the creature could throw at her. All the while, she was wondering both where Inuyasha was, and if he would save her in time. Time itself seemed to stretch on forever as Kagome waited with uncertainty for her fate. That minute and a half seemed to last for an eternity as she squeezed her eyes shut, and only after this span of time had lapsed, Kagome realized she had yet to feel a sword or claws slice into her flesh. Taking in a steadying breath, the miko opened her eyes to see the form in the same position it had been.

Being an opportunist, she quickly began backing away from the creature a few paces before turning around and walking away from the being; however, she did look over her shoulder every few steps to make sure the being was not following her. By the second time she turned around though, she noticed a few things that let her know just who was wielding that sword.

From her position earlier, he was hidden by the foliage where the moon's beams could not reach. But her current location allowed her to see him clearly, color included.

Amber eyes were downcast, white fuzzy ears that so resembled those of a Samoyed were trained on her, and prayer beads were resting on shoulders clad in red fabric. Frozen once more with the realization and the accompanying shock, it took Kagome a moment to register that the crouching form was none other than Inuyasha. Without thinking, she gracefully moved closer to his hiding spot.

When she was fifteen feet away, she began hearing what he was mumbling to himself. So caught up in his task and the thought that he was well concealed, only one of his ears focused on her; every other detail was ignored.

"I am going to do this. Kagome isn't back yet to stop me. I am going to deal with my problem, and end this right now. . ." Was all Kagome could hear before he trailed off once more.

Closing his eyes and emitting a heavy sigh, he began raising Sango's sword above his head.

That's when reality came crashing down along with the magnitude of the situation. 'Oh my Kami, he's turned the blade on himself! Please, Please whatever Kami is listening, don't let him do whatever he's been planning before I can get to him! I've got to stop him before he can go through with this!'

With that, Kagome screamed as she began closing the distance between where she stood and where he sat. "Inuyasha! Please STOP! Don't do it!" She shrieked as tears began forming in her eyes. At that time, the sword had begun its swift descent to its destination; his left ear.

The smell of her tears reached his senses first and succeeded in pulling him out of his stupor. That's when her scent and her voice reached him as well. Shocked beyond belief that he had been caught off guard, Inuyasha lowered the sword and turned wide orbs of amber on her as she ran toward him.

Realizing that she probably thought he was trying to kill himself brought out two specific emotions immediately. The first was confusion as he raised his eyes to see her. 'Why would she think that I would kill myself not to mention, why would she even care? I'm nothing but a worthless hanyou!' He thought bitterly before his confusion was quickly drowned out by anger at her intrusion.

But before he could react, Kagome had reached him, knelt down facing him and off to his side, before throwing her arms around his neck in a crushing hug as she continued to sob into his haori. His grip on the sword loosened to the point that the soft but definitely metallic sound of the sword hitting the soft grass could be heard.

Task and sword completely forgotten for the time being, he focused on Kagome and yet again felt terrible about being the cause of her tears. In a voice softer than normal he asked, "Hey, why are you crying? I wasn't gonna kill myself stupid. And you know I hate it when you cry. Knock it off will ya'?"

To his response Kagome composed herself as she dried her tears. Once that was accomplished, she then felt the need to justify her actions as he obviously misread her; then and only then would she allow her anger to surface at being made fun of.

"I didn't think you were going to kill yourself! It simply scared me to see you with a blade in your hands that you then turned on yourself! You know I hate it when one of my friends, including YOU, get hurt."

Ignoring her comment for the time being, he simply listened to the tone of her voice as he thought, 'I know she's gonna' get angry with me which will lead to an argument, which leads to me being sat, and then her going home. I don't feel like arguing right now or getting sat, and all of us are tired of waiting around for her to return so we can find jewel shards. I swear one more day in the hut will kill me.'

But Inuyasha cut her off before she had a chance to finish her comment then come up with another insult. "Since when have you cared what I do anyway? You're not my mother." He stated in an almost hollow voice.

Quickly coming to the conclusion that this discussion was deteriorating into an argument that would inevitably turn ugly, Kagome decided to swallow her anger and show more of her softer and concerned side. 'Kill him with kindness as mom always says. Besides, if I act this way it will confuse the heck out of him and I may be able to find out what exactly he was doing before he puts up his defenses that have served as his coping mechanism for most of his life.

In a calm and soothing voice she began, "I may not be your mother, but you are one of my closest friends Inuyasha, and as such I have always and will always care and worry about what you do. Why do you think I get so concerned about you when all of us fight demons together and on the rare occasion when you get injured? If I didn't care, I wouldn't get mad and 's-i-t' you when you said something rude. If I didn't care I would constantly forget your ramen. If I didn't care I wouldn't come back to you to constantly see if everyone was doing well. And if I didn't care I wouldn't have started crying or screamed at you to stop all those times before and just now, let alone be here in this moment talking civilly to you."

"Feh. Yeah right! You only come back constantly cuz you know I would come to get you and drag you back if I had to. Plus, it's your fault that the jewel broke in the first place so it's your responsibility to help me find the jewel shards. And you only care cuz I'm the only one strong enough to save you when you get in trouble, let alone defeat any demon with a shard. Without ME you couldn't do nothin' and you know it."

"Be that as it may Inuyasha, those aren't the only reasons I come back. But I also know that you couldn't find the shards at all without me. You said it yourself that it would take you twice as long if at all to gather them, and think of all the ones Naraku could get a hold of in the extra time it would take you to gather just one shard. I'm not here to argue with you though. What exactly were you doing with that sword?"

"None of your business wench," was his curt reply, "and besides, I don't got to answer to you anyway."

Standing and brushing herself off before she began walking back to the hut, she tossed "Fair enough" over her shoulder.

However, that was before she noticed something about his left ear; it had been bleeding, not a lot mind you, but it was enough to turn the hair in the surrounding area red as it seeped from the wound.

Putting two and two together, Kagome spun around to face him once more before she gently asked, "Inuyasha, you were trying to cut your ears off weren't you?"

"What's it to you?" He defensively spat.

"You're bleeding. Stay right there. I'll be right back." With that, she rummaged through her bag until she got her first aid kit. Armed with antiseptic, telfa pads (a non-stick wound dressing), and bandages Kagome once again knelt by his side to begin cleaning his self inflicted injury.

And it was at this point in time where suppressed tempers were wearing their restraints to the breaking point; both got the impending sense of doom that alerted them that before long, heated words would begin flying.

To Be Continued

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Personal Review Responses:**

**Valese:** Thanks again for brainstorming with me over IM! You were partly right about her finding IY…go you!! I know, he had to get the sword some time…couldn't torture him forever ne? I myself wonder what he would look like without his ears…though I bet half of his fans wouldn't like him half as much without them! Hope to see you for the concluding chapter!

**GoldAngel2: **Oh that makes me happy that I was convincing enough to be able to make you think this story was taking another twist…I thought it would be interesting to throw the tainted shard in to add some action to the story where I felt action was lacking! Thanks so much for reviewing me and I hope to see you next chapter as well!

Until next time,

LadySword04


	6. Confessions In The Light of The Full Moo...

**Author's Note**: Sorry for the long delay in this last chapter of LLI. I really tried to write during the semester though I never got the time until I dropped General Chemistry. . .I had issues with the teaching style and the amount of out of class work he gave…it was THREE times the amount of the work other professors gave and the difficulty level was insane…he didn't teach anything yet he expected us to use our 'scientific reasoning' to figure out the problems he assigned…so I have to take it over the summer lest I fall behind. Anyways, I also had difficulties writing this chapter too! I knew where I wanted to end up, but I had trouble getting there while keeping everyone in character. I still don't like how this reads, but after a few months of tinkering with it, I just don't see what I need to do to make it better. Maybe you guys will? Thanks for understanding and I hope you all enjoy the last chapter!

**Disclaimer: **Much to my dismay, I still DO NOT own Inuyasha or any of its characters!

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Begun January 17th 2005 and Finished March 17, 2005** **

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A Note to Kouga Fans:** I went back and revised the part with Kouga here to be more fan friendly and correct. I apologize for the inaccuracy earlier. I have only seen the first sixty episodes and did not realize that Kouga's motives and declarations really changed from simply annoying the hanyou to being the truth. Hopefully the short explanations in Kagome's thoughts will help clear up the mess I created!** A HUGE Thanks to GoldAngel2 who pointed out my mistake!** I went back and revised the part with Kouga here to be more fan friendly and correct. I apologize for the inaccuracy earlier. I have only seen the first sixty episodes and did not realize that Kouga's motives and declarations really changed from simply annoying the hanyou to being the truth. Hopefully the short explanations in Kagome's thoughts will help clear up the mess I created! **

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Chapter Six: Confessions In The Light of The Full Moon **

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At this time, Inuyasha could no longer hold his tongue so he gruffly ground out, "You know I don't need to be bandaged up. I heal fine on my own idiot! I don't need your medical treatment. You wait, it will heal by morning." He huffed while crossing his arms in his sleeves and turning his head to the side indignantly. 

"Frankly, I don't care if your ear will heal by morning or not. I would feel better if I knew this wound was properly cleaned and treated. Who knows what kind of bacteria live on that sword of yours, and may be in your blood-stream as we speak. " Was the reply he got as Kagome continued her task without even skipping a beat. "There, that didn't kill you did it?" our favorite Miko asked as she gathered up her left over supplies.

"Feh" was his oh-so-intelligent reply as he closed his eyes for further emphasis.

As she was gathering up her supplies, Kagome could not help but think, 'This kinda' brings back memories of the time I cut my finger on the arrow in the Goshinboku Tree back when we were fighting Meonmaru. Inuyasha didn't need to wrap my finger as I could have done it myself, but he helped me anyway. Much like I am doing now. I'm returning the favor I guess.' Kagome thought in the silence after his curt reply.

Task accomplished, Kagome heaved a sigh and decided she would sit next to Inuyasha for a bit in silence, speaking only if he spoke to her first. The moon was full tonight, and beautiful as well. Before she knew it, Kagome had fallen under its spell, mesmerized by its soft glowing radiance. 'The sun gives light to the moon, the moon reflects that light, and we can enjoy its soft glow here on earth. That's kinda like my life. If the sun didn't give off its light and the moon couldn't reflect it, then the moon wouldn't shine. In my case, if I didn't have the Shikon no Tama, there would be no Inuyasha and life in the warring states period. I bet if I were to tell that to people in this time era they would call me crazy.' Kagome sat amazed as to where her thought patterns had taken her.

Kagome decided to sneak a glance at Inuyasha out of the corner of her left eye and noticed that he had moved a short distance closer to her while she was admiring the moon and its companions in the night sky. His eyes were also trained on the scene she was admiring as his ears twitched back and forth to hear the noises off in the distance. He was sitting there tryin to locate whatever it was that Kagome was looking at that took her attention away from him. Before she could be caught, Kagome turned her eyes back to the sky as she continued searching for a shooting star.

'It's funny, all these years I have heard this phrase, and not until tonight does it actually make sense. Apparently it is true that sometimes, just by sitting next to someone you are friends with in silence, even for a few moments, you can feel more connected to them. I feel like I have a better understanding of him now. Words are not always necessary when you try to get to know someone better.' She finished with a smirk before wrapping her arms around her legs and pillowing her head on her knees.

A few more minutes passed in silence with only the sounds of nocturnal creatures to be heard. Every so often Inuyasha would look at Kagome out of the corner of his eye to observe what she was doing, and wondering when the questions, anger, string of 'sits,' and whatever else Kagome could throw at him would come. Before long though, he let out a sigh of relief, which to Kagome sounded more exasperated than anything else.

'Well, I guess now is just as good a time as any other' Kagome rationalized. Determination levels at an all time high she took a small breath and began her small speech. "Inuyasha?" she tentatively began.

Her query elicited only a "Nani?" from her hanyou companion.

"Could I ask you a few questions? Cuz' I kinda' want to talk to you about a few things too."

"Depends on what you're askin." Inuyasha stated as he leaned forward and examined her face.

Deciding she had better be careful as well as tactful in her choice of words, she began with the question of "What bothers you most about your appearance Inuyasha?"

His expression became guarded and his countenance hardened as he responded, "What the heck was I out here trying to cut off dimwit?"

"Well, I was wondering what would make you hate your ears so much that you would be willing to cut them off without a second thought."

Silence sufficed for her answer for the next few minutes while Inuyasha fought with himself with the decision of whether or not to reply. He decided on a more cryptic answer. "You wouldn't understand even if I told you."

Having been with him for the past few years, Kagome was able to figure out the majority of his reasons behind his desire to rid himself of his ears. She sent him a skeptical glance before continuing.

"You hate them because they let those around you, where ever you may go, know that you are a hanyou right? So you figured that by cutting them off that you would look more like a true youkai ne? But did you honestly think you could pass yourself off as such with no ears at all? I guess what I am trying to say Inuyasha is that even when you transformed with the whole Kaguya incident, you still had your ears. Therefore, even if you were to wish on the Shikon no Tama to fully transform, you would still have your ears wouldn't you?"

For the second time that night he was angered that she had figured him out along with posing questions he himself didn't think about before he decided on such a rash action. In fact, he hadn't thought about not having any ears at all and what he would do about the holes that served as ear canals he wouldn't be able to rid himself of. If someone looked closely at him, they would figure it out sooner or later. His response was a little better than before; his eyes were as wide as saucers. His mouth promptly began moving though Kagome couldn't make out what he was saying.

Seeing that she was on the right track and hadn't been shut out yet she pursued her questioning further. Gently she began again with "You know, even though your ears mark you for what you are, they also play a part in who you are. They're as much a part of you and your personality as your temper. Without them, you wouldn't be the same Inuyasha we have all come to know and love."

"You make it sound like I'd be cutting off an arm or somethin'! I wouldn't be the same? Who are you tryin' to fool? They're EARS! You got that? They ain't that important dummy!" He spat back.

Kagome was certainly showing her maturity this night with how she was handling the situation. Back when the quest first started, he would have been sat at least three times already, but things were different now. 'Sitting him is certainly not going to help my cause.' She rationalized before beginning with more composure than normal as she tried again. "If you would let me finish and quit interrupting me you would understand what I am trying to say! What I mean is that they're sorta' like a defining trait of yours. In every picture and memory I have of you, your ears are there too. To be honest, I think your ears are really neat. They're special, not to mention fun to watch; especially when they move! It's almost like they have a personality all of their own and they're unique, _just like you are"_ she added as an after thought. "No one I know has ears like you do." As she spoke, the blush on her face only intensified.

"Feh! That isn't a reason to keep 'em."

"I'm being serious here Inuyasha. I love your ears! No joke!"

Disbelief and shock seemed to be the emotions that were hunting than catching him this night numerous times as he had yet again become their prey.

'She loves my ears?' "And like I told **you** before, your brain's busted or somethin'. What's it matter anyway if you like my ears?" After that he dejectedly mumbled "You're not stuck in this body or with my life. You don't know a thing about my life before you came along."

"I know it sounds strange, but given the choice, I'm positive I would want a set of your ears!" She stated in a thoughtful tone as she winked at him.

"You're weird, and you're not makin' any sense!"

Once again finding herself flustered, she took a deep breath before gathering her thoughts and proceeding with, "I love your ears because they're a part of you! Like I told you with the Kaguya experience, I love you as a half demon! I don't want you any other way! As a demon you frighten me, and to be honest as a human you confuse me. As a Hanyou, you're more direct, familiar, and I like that about you."

Skeptical as ever, he replied, "Right. I'm supposed to believe that? You love my hanyou form, not me! Not to mention that you just like the ears cuz' you enjoy rubbing them, frankly it annoys the heck outta' me! They don't deserve that kind of attention. These things mark me as a freak Kagome! Everywhere I go people know I am of an un-pure heritage. It may be okay for people in your time to marry demons, but it sure as hell ain't okay here."

"Un-pure this, tainted that. Who cares! I sure don't mind. I prefer to think that you're not a hanyou, because technically you're not hanyou! Half of you is whole demon, and half is entirely human! You're a perfect blend of both, like a union of opposites. And you are MOST DEFINITELY NOT A FREAK! Ok? I don't ever want to hear you say that again cuz' it's not true. I've never thought of you as being a freak, so please don't say that you are! Besides," she added in a teasing manner "what would you do when it rained? You'd get water in your ears!"

To that last statement, Inuyasha huffed in annoyance at her before scooting a few feet away from where she sat. Again that night there was a lull in the conversation. Kagome decided now would be as good a time as any. She had been told for years that he cared for her, and after being with him for so long he had taken a place in her heart that no one could push him out of. Kikyo was gone now as well, so she had no 'romantic rivals.' She had admitted it to herself, and now she was going to admit it to him as well. She was frustrated that all night she had been trying to tell him of her feelings with hints, but being subtle was getting her nowhere. Sure, she was a traditional girl that believed in having a guy ask her out. Sure this was also normal in feudal Japan, but Inuyasha wasn't like other guys. When it came to feelings, he was extremely insecure. But Kagome wasn't any other girl either. She was able to recognize that Inuyasha saw human emotions as a weakness. He often tried to be nice by offending her. In a way, he said the direct opposite of what he really meant. And because Kagome wasn't any other girl, she realized that she needed to be direct.

Turning slightly so she wasn't directly facing him, Kagome began once again, "Inuyasha, dropping hints has gotten me nowhere for the past year let alone tonight, so I will be blunt. I. . .I… what I am trying to say is that. . .I love you. I have for a long time and it's been killing me from the inside not to be able to tell you as much. I don't love you just for your ears either, though they're an added bonus. I love you for who you are. I wouldn't ask you to change a thing. Not now, and not ever. I just wanted you to know. You're different than any other guy I have ever met, and I like that about you. Most guys my age either ignore me or smother me with attention.

To tell you the truth, I never once considered taking Kouga seriously. I don't like all that attention; it makes me sick. What I like about you is that you pay attention to me but I never feel like you're obsessive about it. If you were anything like Kouga I would have left a long time ago. All those declarations of love, while flattering, get old and personally I don't like all that mushy stuff _especially not in public!_ That and I know he doesn't mean half the things he says to me."

'That's somewhat true in the fact that in the beginning he was doing that just to make Inuyasha jealous. However, now I know he really means what he says, but Inuyasha doesn't need to know that.'

"He just does it to make you mad. Sure while his tactic works in the movies, it never does in real life. And unlike him, you've also never broken a promise to me."

'Also somewhat true because when he first captured me, HE promised to protect me, but HE left that responsibility up to his vassals Ginta and Hakaku. Technically he did break his promise, though I do realize that other than that, he's always there to help when we need him, and whenever I've been kidnapped he's there to rescue me, sometimes arriving even before Inuyasha!'

"I trust you with my life Inuyasha, and I am sure I can trust you with my heart too."

Maybe it was the effect of the not so distant new moon looming over his head, or maybe the stress of keeping his true feelings hidden for so long, but he decided to let her know how he felt about her as well. However this wasn't before he sent her a quizzical look. After the odd look, he focused on the ground before proceeding, "I love you too Kagome, but what I want to know first is why someone as pure and kind as you would be halfway interested in someone like me?"

"I can't tell you in words Inuyasha. No words would do my reasons justice. It's something only felt with the heart, it can't be explained. I once heard it said that the heart chooses who it wants to love, and I know mine's chosen you. Please don't ask me to explain, it wouldn't be fair to you or me. I'm here because I want to be with you. It's odd, I find myself thinking of you when you're not around, and I always miss our fights! You make life interesting and fun Inuyasha!"

To prove that she was serious about what she had said, Kagome crawled before she knelt in front of him. After this she promptly hugged Inuyasha and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. After the initial shock of her actions wore off, he pulled back to get a look into her eyes to see if she was telling the truth. All he saw was love, acceptance, and that she had meant every word. With that, the two of them shared a second kiss in the moonlight.

That's when Inuyasha noticed how tired he was and how late at night it was. "Kagome, I think we should get some sleep."

"You're right, we do have a long day ahead of us jewel shard hunting right? Just let me get my backpack and we can go back to the hut ok?" She easily located her pack and turned to find Inuyasha behind her already.

With that he bent down and let her get on his back. However, he didn't head for the hut; he headed for the Goshinboku tree instead.

"Lose the pack would ya'?" He questioned. Kagome noticed his grip on her legs wasn't loosening and she questioned him about it as she dropped the pack. Her answer came in the form of him leaping to the highest branch where he sat her down before seating himself against the trunk.

Now Kagome may fight demons, but heights like this would be enough to freak any mortal out. Her frightened gaze settled on Inuyasha who reached out, grabbed her, and settled her in his lap with a grin and a chuckle. Moving slowly as this was new for him as well, he wrapped his arms around her and put his head over her shoulder before closing his eyes.

After a moment, she relaxed, and thanked the shooting stars for granting the final part of her wish; she finally had what she wanted, Inuyasha. Deciding she would be more comfortable, she turned so her right side lay on his chest with her head resting on his shoulder.

For now, returning Sango's sword and his explanations could wait. As usual, apologies between the two were left unsaid though they were understood. Above all, he had Kagome, who, much to his delight and of all things, began rubbing his ears. Both quickly fell asleep in the tree that night with light hearts under the protection of the full moon and each other.

Owari!

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**Author's End Notes:** Hey guys! This is yet another first for me! It's the first Inuyasha fan fiction that I have ever written as well as my first attempt at anything other than humor…and romance at that! Thanks to all that have read and reviewed! I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you think too! I still feel that this chapter is lacking something…Until next time,

LadySword04

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Personal Review Replies: **

**GoldAngel2: **You always have the nicest things to say, and your knowledge of the series is exceptional. Thank-you so very much for sticking with me on this story the whole way through! Over my spring break I will definitely check out more of your stories that you have updated and recently created. Look for me then! (I will also try to update "Breaking That Sessha Habit of His as well...seeing as it has been close to a year since I updated it! Eek!)

**Valese: **Thanks so much for your constant help and brainstorming! Yepper, she did save the day, but having him succeed in chopping his ears off would have complicated the situation a little more I think. Lol. Thanks again and I hope you enjoyed the last chapter!


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